Rumor: Samsung Procuring Galaxy S8 Batteries From Japan

Samsung will be procuring batteries for the upcoming Galaxy S8 from Japan, latest industry rumors indicate. The South Korean tech giant reportedly found a battery supplier in Murata Manufacturing, a Kyoto-based maker of electronic components. Murata Manufacturing is one of Apple's component suppliers which recently started investing in battery production after acquiring a battery-making division of Sony Energy Devices last summer. Following that acquisition, the Japanese company revealed how battery production will soon become a part of its core operations, describing it as an important step in its long-term plan to increase its global market presence. If Murata Manufacturing now managed to land Samsung as its first big battery client, the company is seemingly on the right track to realize those ambitions.

Even though Samsung Electronics currently owns two large battery-making operations, the Seoul-based tech giant possibly decided to outsource battery production for the Galaxy S8 following the ordeal surrounding the Galaxy Note 7. Last month, Samsung revealed how both of its battery manufacturers were at fault for the fact that a significant percentage of Galaxy Note 7 units was prone to catching fire and exploding. While the company already started implementing new safety measures to make sure such a scenario never happens again, it's reportedly still in the process of updating its manufacturing and quality assurance procedures, meaning that outsourcing battery production for the Galaxy S8 is likely a safer bet for Samsung. If this report turns out to be accurate, the next Galaxy flagship equipped with a Samsung-made battery will likely be the Galaxy Note 8 that's expected to hit the market this fall.

As for the Galaxy S8, the larger variant of the company's upcoming flagship is rumored to sport a 3,750mAh battery, while the smaller model will allegedly be powered by a 3,250mAh one. Since both phones will feature a 10nm system-on-chip that's more energy efficient than the Snapdragon 820 and the Exynos 8890 that were powering their predecessors, their battery life should be comparable or better to that of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge despite the fact that they will likely ship with larger displays. More information on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus is bound to follow soon as Samsung is expected to reveal its duo of flagships in late March.

Dominik started at AndroidHeadlines in 2016 and is the Head Editor of the site today. He’s approaching his first full decade in the media industry, with his background being primarily in technology, gaming, and entertainment. These days, his focus is more on the political side of the tech game, as well as data privacy issues, with him looking at both of those through the prism of Android. Contact him at [email protected]